I don't own Gundam Wing or the Nutcracker.
~
The Nutcracker
Quatre smiled as the guests filed into the room. "Rashid, I hope this party's a success," he said to his body guard.
"As do I, Master Quatre," the tall man replied. "I can't wait to see what your Godfather Treize will bring this year."
"Godfather Treize always goes all-out with his gifts," the blond boy agreed. "I want to see him so badly, and he said he had a special surprise for me!"
As if on cue, the ballroom of the mansion filled with cries of, "Herr Treize! He's here!" The crowds parted as the magical weapon/toy maker strolled up to his godson. "Hello, Little One," he grinned.
"Hello!" Quatre threw his arms around the older man.
Treize laughed. "So, Little One, have you been good this year?" he asked. Quatre nodded. "Well, let's see. I have a present for Freya..." The tall blond reached into his bag and revealed a Detachable Rei Ayanami doll, with three different heads and arms to switch around. [1]
"Cool!" Quatre's youngest sister cried, eyes glowing evilly. The blond boy shrank away from his psychotic sibling.
"Here's Bodyguarding for Dummies for Rashid..." Treize announced, handing the man the book. Rashid immediately began reading. "I knew that a group of forty was too big to guard one person!" he muttered as he sat down on the nearby sofa. Treize continued to hand out presents, watching Quatre as he gave all of the Maguanacs and Winner girls their gifts.
"And that's it," the weapon/toy maker concluded, shaking the empty sack. Quatre's eyes began to tear up. Treize smiled. "Come now, Little One, you don't think I'd forget you, do you? Go look at the tree."
The blond boy ran to the huge Christmas tree that was standing in the center of the room. Pushing the ornaments and tinsel aside, he peered between the branches and gave a small cry.
"Godfather Treize! He's beautiful!" he gasped, staring at the nutcracker. It's hair swept down in long bangs, obscuring half of it's face and covering one of the beautiful emerald-green eyes. It wore a forest-green jacket with gold buttons and red trimming, white pants, and knee-high black boots.
"I'm glad you like him, Quatre," the blond man said. "Now, what is his name?"
Quatre blinked his aqua eyes. "Name?" He studied the nutcracker. "Trowa. His name is Trowa." The soft strains of a violin and a flute drifted through the ballroom in a gentle song. "I know this song, 'Fluttering Harmony'! [2] May I have this dance, Sir Trowa?" he asked, giggling. He rose and began to whirl around the dance floor, carrying Trowa gently in his arms.
Freya laughed wickedly and snatched the nutcracker away from her brother. "Hmm...let's see if it works!" she crowed, placing the Rei head with bandages into Trowa's mouth.
A soft -CRACK- reached Quatre's ears. "What did you do?" he wailed, taking his present back. The jaw hung limply from the head. "Trowa..." He felt his eyes welling up with tears.
"War wounds hurt everyone," Treize stated calmly, taking the nutcracker. "They can only heal with time." He gently wrapped his white handkerchief over the broken jaw. "I'll fix it for you later, Little One."
"Thank you Godfather!" Quatre cried, hugging the man. "This is such a great Christmas!"
"I agree with Master Quatre, this book was very useful," Rashid added. "The guests are beginning to go to their rooms, and it's time for you to go to bed." He lifted Trowa from Quatre's arms and placed him on the table. "Follow me."
"Can't I bring Trowa?" the blond boy asked. Rashid gave his charge a glare. Dejectedly, Quatre walked up the stairs.
Treize smiled at the empty room. "Well, my friend," he said to the nutcracker, touching the handkerchief, "I suppose I must go also." He removed a small pouch from beneath his cloak and sprinkled the contents, a sparkling white powder, over his gift to Quatre. "Good night, Trowa."
* * *
A small figure crept into the dark ballroom. He glanced around, watching for the night guards, and ran over to the nutcracker.
"Hi, Trowa!" Quatre whispered, cradling his present. "Sorry I had to leave you." He planted a soft kiss on the painted lips. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, the blond Arabian walked over to the sofa in the corner and lay down, curled up around Trowa. "Good night, Trowa," he whispered as he drifted off.
Treize smiled from his vantage point behind the door. He slid up to the sleeping boy, carefully took the nutcracker from his arms, and carried it out of the room.
Several minutes passed, and all was in silence. The chiming of the grandfather clock striking midnight did not wake Quatre, and neither did the soft scampering of mouse-feet. This mouse, named Relena, was particularly ugly, with her fur in two braids that were tied together at the back of her head. She turned around and beckoned to the others following her: one with glasses and hair curled in two buns, one with her fur in two twists, and the last with bushy fur at the top of her head.
"When is she coming?" the one with glasses asked. "Sally, you said she would be with us!"
"Well, EXCUSE ME, Une," the mouse with twists retorted, "but you ARE her bodyguard!"
The bushy-furred one whirled on her three companions. "In case you didn't notice, we aren't alone."
"Calm down, Catherine, there's just a huma-" Une froze in mid-sentence. "Dammit! The humans are supposed to be gone!"
"Where's the Queen?" Relena demanded. "She'd know what to do about this."
"I AM here, Relena," a smooth voice announced from the shadows. The Mouse Queen, Dorothy, appeared among her soldiers. Her eyebrows split in two branches, and her eyes themselves were devoid of pupils. "I assume there is a problem."
"There's a human in here, your Highness," Relena said, glancing at Quatre. Dorothy followed her soldier's gaze and nodded.
"Bring him over here," she ordered. The four mice ran over to the sleeping boy and began poking at him. Quatre groaned and opened his eyes.
"Wake up, sweet prince!" Relena crowed. Quatre stared in horror at the ugly, over grown mouse that was leering into his face. He let loose a bloodcurdling scream and leapt off the sofa, running for the door. The blond was cut off by Une, but when he turned around, Sally was right in his face. He pressed his back against the wall and whimpered.
"What's the matter, Human?" Dorothy asked in a sickly sweet voice. "Something as pretty as you shouldn't be looking so scared." She leaned down and nibbled his lip gently.
Quatre tried to shove the freaky-eyed mouse queen away from him, but she just moved closer. He shuddered visibly as shouts and battle-cries filled the air.
Four toy soldiers charged into the ballroom, weapons raised. "Weak onna! Leave him alone!" a Chinese one bearing a katana screamed.
"Yeah, rodents!" the one with a meter-long braid added. "Shinigami is back from hell!" He twirled his scythe dangerously.
"Omae o korosu," the third intoned dangerously, his dark hair sweeping into his eyes.
"Not if I get them first," the last, a man with long platinum blond hair, muttered.
"Regroup!" Dorothy ordered. The four mice rallied around their leader and charged just as the leader of the toy soldiers entered.
His hair swept down in long bangs, obscuring half of his face and covering one of the beautiful emerald-green eyes. He wore a forest-green jacket with gold buttons and red trimming, white pants, and knee-high black boots. Around his jaw was a white handkerchief.
Dorothy smiled in her sickly sweet way. "And just who are you?"
"I have no name, but if you must call me something, call me Trowa," the man announced calmly.
Dorothy lifted her fencing foil. "So, Trowa," she said, "shall we fight for this human?" She waved her sword at the trembling Quatre.
"His name is Quatre," Trowa replied calmly, drawing his own sword. The two circled each other. The mouse Queen lunged in, taking a swipe at the nutcracker's shoulder. He countered and aimed for her eyes. Dorothy ducked her head low, and came up a fraction from his chest. Trowa brought his sword down at the base of her neck. The Queen fell to the floor and lay, twitching. Her soldiers panicked and, snatching up her body, ran for their lives.
"Go Trowa!" the braided soldier, named Duo, called. "You rock, man!"
"Baka," Wufei, the Chinese one, muttered.
"Don't even bother," the blond named Milliardo whispered. Heero, the last soldier, nodded in agreement.
Trowa stepped to in front of Quatre. "Are you all right, Little One?" he asked.
"Y-yes," the Arabian boy replied. "Thank you for...for rescuing me." The tall soldier simply smiled.
"Let's leave, shall we, boys?" Duo suggested in a loud whisper. The four slipped silently out of the ballroom.
"Who are you?" Quatre asked. He stared up into the beautiful emerald eyes.
"You don't know? I am Trowa. The one your godfather gave to you."
The blond blinked confusedly. "You're really Trowa?" He stared at the scarf wrapped around the soldier's jaw, then studied the entire uniform. "Yes, you are, aren't you?" Quatre smiled, leaning in closer. He pulled his face up to Trowa's and closed his eyes, lips parted slightly. The emerald-eyed soldier pulled the smaller boy into his arms.
Both jumped as the strains of a violin filled the air. They turned to see the four soldiers: Wufei with a violin, Heero with a flute, Milliardo on some drums, and Duo on a bass. "Don't mind us, just continue!" the braided soldier called. The four slid into a fast-paced rendition of "Fluttering Harmony."
"May I have this dance?" Trowa asked, offering his hand to Quatre. The blond nodded, smiling.
The tall soldier pulled the Arabian into his arms and began to whirl around the ballroom floor. The two danced across the room and over to the balcony, waltzing in the moonlight. A soft mist began to surround them as the music began to fade.
* * *
Quatre blinked and looked around. The weren't at his mansion anymore; instead, they were standing on a vast green lawn in front of a sparkling castle. "Where are we, Trowa?"
"This is my palace," the nutcracker replied, waving to a young woman in a sparkling gown.
"Who's she?" the blond asked.
"Noin, the sugarplum fairy, at your service!" the woman announced, twirling. "Welcome home, Prince Trowa!"
Quatre turned to his companion. "You're a prince?"
"Yes."
The young Arabian's eyes grew wide. He didn't have any time to say anything, however, because Noin grabbed both of their arms and dragged them into the palace. "We have a wonderful 'Welcome Home' party for you, Prince Trowa!"
The three entered into a beautiful dining hall, lined wall-to-wall with decorations and candles. Duo and the other soldiers were lounging across the room, joking with the other guests. Or rather, Duo was joking and the others were trying to shut him up.
"Highness, please sit down and enjoy the entertainment with your guest," Noin said, gesturing to a throne. Trowa settled into the huge chair and pulled Quatre down onto his lap. The blond giggled, eyes sparkling.
A young Chinese girl bounded into the center of the hall, followed by an angry-looking Wufei. Duo burst out laughing at the sight of his friend in a tight-fitting Chinese acrobat's outfit. "Hello, minna, I am Long-Chang Meiran, and this is my husband Chang Wufei," the girl announced.
"Onna, you will pay for this injustice," Wufei muttered.
"Stuff it," Meiran replied. She turned back to the audience and smiled. "For your viewing pleasure, we will now..."
"Strip and screw each other!" Duo called out jokingly from his corner. Meiran narrowed her eyes.
"You shall feel the justice of Nataku, weakling!" she screamed, drawing a katana and lunging at the braided soldier.
"Eep!" Duo eeped, throwing himself backwards into Milliardo.
"Ahem," Meiran said annoyedly. "We shall present for you a routine of Chinese acrobatics."
"Did I mention that you will pay for this injustice?" Wufei demanded, glaring at his wife.
"Shut up, Scholar Boy, we have more important things to worry about right now." Meiran glared back at her husband, who grudgingly grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up over his head. The two began their complicated acrobatics routine, with Duo commentating from the sidelines. Both Chinese teens drew their katanas threateningly. Duo continued chattering, oblivious to the impending danger. With a yell of, "NATAKU!" the two lunged forward angrily, sending the braided soldier scrambling for his life. Quatre giggled and snuggled into Trowa's chest, feeling like he was in heaven.
"Little One, how about we go for a walk. I can show you the gardens," the nutcracker prince suggested. Quatre nodded and slid off the emerald-eyed boy's lap. The two slipped out the door and into a beautiful rose garden.
"How do you like it?" Trowa asked. The blond gasped, staring wide-eyed at the rows of red, white, pink, yellow, and thousands of other colored roses.
"It's amazing," he whispered, stepping into the garden. "I've never seen anything like it."
The two walked in silence for a while, just admiring the thousands of roses. Quatre rested his head on the taller boy's shoulder. "I want to stay here forever," he murmured, sliding onto the grass.
"Me too," Trowa agreed, joining him. Quatre curled up against his chest and sighed.
"Ai shiteru, Trowa," the blond whispered into his green-eyed lover's neck.
"Ore no yahari," Trowa replied. [I do, too]
Quatre smiled. "Stay with me forever."
"I promise." Trowa ran his fingers through the silky blond hair. "I love you, Little One. Little One. Little One..."
* * *
"Little One, wake up." Treize gave his Godson another shake. "The guests will be coming downstairs soon."
"Godfather Treize..." Quatre murmured. He blinked and sat strait up. "Where's Trowa?"
"Right here," the blond man announced, pulling the nutcracker from behind his back. The broken jaw was fixed so perfectly, no one could tell it was broken unless they looked closely at the thin crack on the cheek.
"Trowa!" Quatre cried, pulling the soldier into his arms. He was lifeless once again. "Oh, Godfather Treize, I had this amazing dream..."
Treize laughed. "Tell me later, Little One, right now you must get dressed." Quatre ran past him and to the door to the ballroom, pausing momentarily to study a dark shape on the floor. "A dead mouse? What's wrong with its eyebrows?" He stared hard at the nutcracker in his arms. "Trowa..." After planting a gentle kiss on the painted lips, he continued on his way up the stairs.
*~Owari~*
[1] Detachable Rei Ayanami Dolls do exist, my friend Rika-chan gave one to Ren-chan for Christmas. I haven't seen it yet, but Ren-chan says it's freaky-like!
[2] Fluttering Harmony (Tokimeite Harmony) is the song Q-chan and Tro-kun were playing together as a duet way back when in episode 4. It's track 28 on Operation 1 of the soundtrack.